Well it all seems to be going past in a whirl but here's a flavour of what the team have been doing.....but it has been an incredibly busy few months since our last update
Firstly we would like to announce that we have a new volunteer for treasurer; Liz has been a long term member of the KNP as well as a KRA committee member since the last AGM and will be undertaking the Treasurer role until our next AGM. Big thank you Liz
New Footpath to the Meads
Committee members Liz and Karen along with our secretary, Maura, attended the opening ceremony for the new footpath to access the meads.
This new footpath runs from the end of the track at the east end of Cromwell Road (parallel to Ware Road) that runs along the south side of Cromwell Road allotments to the existing Public Right of Way that runs across Little Mead.
The new footpath replaces the several that used to run through Cromwell Road allotments that were closed due to fears of Covid transmission. Disbled access has been improved.
KRA and KNP campaigned for the installation of a replacement permissive path and this was taken forward by Hertford Town Council with thanks due to Kingsmead Cllr Sue Barber (amongst others) who sits on the Community Services Committee.
Railway Land Tree Cutting
Late in December 2021 KRA became aware that there had been extensive cutting of trees on the land between the railway line and Mead Lane. Due to investigations for the Neighbourhood Plan we are aware that this land (from the level crossing to about halfway to Hertford East) has species living on it that protected under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 according to the records held by the Hertfordshire Environmental Records Centre and that disturbing such species may be an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Maura, on behalf of KRA, contacted Network Rail immediately to check that they had undertaken any work in accordance with any requirements to protect the endangered species living on the land; however Network Rail confirmed that the work had been undertaken by Greater Anglia. We have written to Greater Anglia and will update you when we receive a reply.
Cllr Jan Goodeve has also notified the East Herts District Council (EHDC) officers to check whether there is anything EHDC can do; Cllr Goodeve is involved because the land sits in both Kingsmead and Castle ward and it was decided she was the best person to take this forward. Herts and Middx Wildlife Trust are also providing invaluable support and assistance
New Development Tamworth Road
Where to start? Let's go with the good news first; there are two items of good news:
Tamworth Road Swift Box Campaign
A couple of residents let us know that swifts nest in the factories that are about to be developed; we contacted the Hertford Swift Group (HSG) for advice.
Cllr Vicky Smith (Bengeo) alerted Clive (HSG lead) and after a quick survey they confirmed that the site looked ideal for swifts but as it wasn't during swift nesting season (end April to August) they couldn't confirm
After a few discussions with HSG we launched a joint campaign this week to install as many swift nesting boxes on Tamworth Road as possible so that if the colony returns to find a demolished nesting site they have an alternative abode.
We are constantly surprised by the community spirit in Kingsmead; within a few hours of leafletting Clive had received 3 enquiries from people living in Tamworth Road. Thank you incredible people
Liz will be looking at whether a similar campaign should be run in the various Woodlands streets later in the year as swifts search out next years nest sites before they migrate. Obviously in conjunction with HSG
There's a well established colony living in and around Cromwell Road. We have also requested installation of swift boxes on the new development.
Historic Cromwell Road Allotments - Cockbush Field Mutiny
KRA commented on the submission for the Archaeological investigations for the Tamworth Road site and pointed out that the site was within 100m of the site of the Cockbush Field Mutiny. This information is not on the Hertfordshire County Council historical records.
We supplied the research provided by Dr Anne Rowe for the KNP to support our assertion and received a lovely email from HCC who are now adding this information to their records.
KRA has been given a copy of a booklet that has a lot of history about Kingsmead and we are intending to set up a separate page on the website to include the details behind the fascinating history of Kingsmead..... So .... watch this space!
Now the bad ......
In November 2021 we saw the first draft of the 'Construction Environmental Management Plan' (CEMP) for the development where it was blithely stated that around 40 vehicles for the development would be 'considerately' parked on Tamworth Rd and surrounding streets and had a few other issues. The original planning consent stated that all parking for the development should be on site given the low availability of parking combined with the impact of the low amount of parking on Liberty Rise on the surrounding streets.
Vicky has written on behalf of KRA to the planning officer dealing with the approval of the CEMP, as have a number of current and former EHDC councillors along with residents and KRA members. KRA has met with Durkan once to discuss the general impact of their development and we did agree to be a conduit to facilitate communication with local residents..... see a bit further on as to how well this is going.
There have been a couple more iterations of the CEMP and we have responded to all. The latest version of the CEMP allows for all parking for the first six months to be on site and then for 10 of the 40 vehicles to be parked on Mead Lane (one of the KRA suggested areas for parking) for the next year or so but this still leaves around 30 vehicles trying to park on Tamworth and surrounding roads. We will be responding.
Correspondence on this matter can be viewed at:
https://publicaccess.eastherts.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=R0URKFGLHHN00&activeTab=summary
Communication.......
Durkan asked KRA to facilitate communication with local residents; we found out this morning (29th Jan) that leaflets have been delivered to a small number of residents of Tamworth Road (but not to at least one residence that has a shared fence with the development nor to residents at the higher number end of the road!) indicating that demolition will start on Monday.
If you live in Tamworth Road/The Springs/Meadow Close etc we would really appreciate it if you can email us to let us know whether you received notification of the demolition start date along with your address so we can record a straw poll of which addresses are receiving notifications.
Watch our Facebook page as we will be researching this with local councillors and the planning officer given that the CEMP has not been approved as yet and also in light of the failure to notify local residents
Hertford Town Centre Recovery
Liz and Karen attended a meeting run by East Herts District Council in conjunction with Hertford Town Council around the best ways to improve Hertford Town Centre and assist it to recover from the severe impact of Covid.
There is a survey open until tomorrow so please fill it in if you haven't as yet. Details on the leaflet.
In the interim; please remember that there is a market in Hertford on both Friday and Saturday mornings, The farmers market is also there on the second Sat of every month. If you can buy one or two things from Hertford instead of online please support your local shops (and remember there are several local shopping places in and around Kingsmead including Foxholes Farm, Mead Lane Industrial Estate and Ware Road near the A10 (in addition to the two 'corner shops' on Birdie Way and Ware Road)
Errata
Few quick notes:
Pavements have been resurfaced on Pinehurst but didn't set quickly due to the cold temperatures. We understand these should settle but will be monitored by Cllr Crystall
EHDC has approved £200k budget for the refurbishment of Pinehurst Community Hall and this is being discussed between the committee and officers.
HTC has approved funding for more inclusive play equipment and benches and tables at Pinehurst playground as requested by Cllr Sue Barber and Cllr Bolton. The fencing to the other equipment to stop the issues with dog fouling are not progressing at the moment
Flytipping is an issue at the moment so make sure you report any problems to EHDC directly or we would recommend using 'Fixmystreet' as you can see what has been reported
KRA is still pursuing the unblocking of the ditch that carries water from Kingsmead to the River Lea as it is blocked where it passes under the New River. We have chased Thames Water (who are responsible for the unblocking) but have now escalated it to the Environment Agency as there has been no action. We are concerned that the water levels are rising and may cause a backflow into Kingsmead if we have heavy rain.
Cromwell Road drainage: Cllr Crystall (Hertfordshire County Council) has confirmed that the CCTV and jetting is programmed for April 2022. Full resolution will depend on the severity of what the survey finds so again watch this space
KRA are still working on the sign for the Bronze Age barrow as this is proving a little more complicated than expected
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